Fox has rejected the company's first commercial, starring actress
Scarlett Johansson, for her closing line "Sorry, Coke and Pepsi,"
reports
USA Today.

SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum told USA Today that he is irate:
"This is the kind of stuff that
happens in China. I'm disappointed as an American."

Fox and Pepsi would not speak
to USA Today on the matter, but Coke confirmed that it had no
role in pressuring Fox.

Birnbaum previously told the
New York Times that the ad would not attack the soda giants.
"I don't need to talk about Coke or Pepsi to legitimize our
story," he said, and added that there would be "a subtle
acknowledgment of the competition of the beverage
industry."

This raises the question of
whether or not the line in question was a deliberate attempt to
generate buzz for the ad a week before the Super Bowl.

...While SodaStream is right to be annoyed, it's also a bit silly
to hear the brand's CEO, Daniel Birnbaum sounding shocked,
SHOCKED to find that his attempt at prodding competitors failed
for the second year in a row.

Brands like GoDaddy and PETA
have been accused of submitting ads to past Super Bowls
they knew would be rejected in order to attract extra
attention before the game.